Sabbath school lesson 11, 2nd quarter of 2018

1. Lesson 11 for June 16, 2018
Lesson 11 for June 16, 2018
Adapted From www.fustero.es
www.gmahktanjungpinang.org
Revelation 15:3
“Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of
saints.”

2.  Who should we worship?
 Signs of God’s worshippers
 Signs of the beast’s
worshippers
 What are the distinctive marks?
 The seal of God
 The mark of the beast
 Why is the Sabbath the seal?
Those who don’t worship the
image of the beast are
sentenced to death in
Revelation 13:15-18.
A mark is imposed to distinguish
those worshipping the image of
the beast. What is that mark?
Why should those worshipping
the Creator refuse to receive it?

3. WORSHIPPING GOD “and you shall be circumcised
in the flesh of your foreskins,
and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between Me and
you.” (Genesis 17:11)
“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying:
‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a
sign between Me and you throughout your
generations, that you may know that I am the
Lord who sanctifies you.’” (Exodus 31:13)
Worshipping God is more than an inner thought or feeling. It must be shown
externally.
God established an external mark for Abraham, circumcision. That was an
external sign of the circumcision of the heart (Dt. 30:6). That sign was replaced
by the new birth, faith and the Commandments (Gal. 6:15 ;5:6; 1Co. 7:19)
The second external sign is observing the Sabbath, a day separated for
worshipping God (Ex. 31:13)

4. WORSHIPPING
THE BEAST
“Then a third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the
beast and his image, and receives his mark on
his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall
also drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out full strength into the cup
of His indignation. He shall be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels and in the presence of the Lamb.’”
(Revelation 14:9-10)
There are six warnings against
false worship in Revelation 13
and 14 (13:4, 8, 12, 15; 14: 9,
11)
The church shall think to
“change times and law” (Daniel
7:25 during the Dark Ages), so a
false day of worship was
established: Sunday (replacing
the Saturday Sabbath)
During the Reformation, this error was not
corrected.
In the End Time, the message of coming
back to the true worship and rejecting the
false one will divide mankind into two
groups of worshippers, with different
destinies (Revelation 14:6-11)

5. THE SEAL OF GOD
“Then I looked, and behold, a
Lamb standing on Mount Zion,
and with Him one hundred and
forty-four thousand, having His
Father’s name written on their
foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)
Read Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Timothy 2:19.
What is the seal of God?
The seal of God has always been receiving the
Holy Spirit and being separated from sin.
1. A seal on their foreheads: Those worshipping
with conviction, either God or the beast.
2. A seal on their hand: Those worshipping the
beast for self interest or for fear.
In addition to that seal, there’s a special seal in
Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1 in the End Time, that
contrasts with the mark of the beast (Revelation
13:16)

6. THE MARK OF THE BEAST
“so that they could not buy or sell unless they had
the mark, which is the name of the beast or the
number of its name.” (Revelation 13:17 NIV)
Remember that Revelation 13 depicts a
counterfeit, a distortion of the plan of salvation.
The beast wants to be worshipped instead of God,
and to impose his mark instead of God’s seal.
The beast introduces a modified law and a
false day of worship to attack those
worshipping the Creator and keeping His Law
(Rev. 14:7, 12). That is the mark of the
beast.
This prophecy about the mark of the beast
will be fulfilled when worshipping God on
Sabbath instead of Sunday involves
restrictions or even death, not before that.
A barcode, a card, a chip
under the skin?

7. THE SABBATH AS
THE SEAL
“hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign
between Me and you, that you may know that
I am the Lord your God.” (Ezekiel 20:20)
The Sabbath was given to mankind at
Creation. It also later became a symbol of
Redemption (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)
In old documents, a seal included the
identity, the title and the dominion of the
person signing the document.
Exodus 20:8-11 identifies the Sabbath as a
seal that includes the identity (the Lord),
title (Creator) and the dominion (everything)
of God.
This will be the distinctive mark of those who
have accepted Christ’s redeeming work in
the end Time; those who worship the Creator
the way He wants to be worshipped.

8. “But Christians of past generations observed the Sunday,
supposing that in so doing they were keeping the Bible
Sabbath; and there are now true Christians in every
church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion,
who honestly believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of
divine appointment. God accepts their sincerity of
purpose and their integrity before Him. But when
Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the
world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of
the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the
command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher
authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery
above God. He is paying homage to Rome and to the
power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome.
He is worshiping the beast and his image.”
E.G.W. (The Great Controversy, cp. 25, p. 449)

9. “What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of
preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are
receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark
of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are
humbling themselves before God and purifying their
souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the
heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in
their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the
stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure
and spotless for eternity.”
E.G.W. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, ch. 23, p. 216)